


ABCs of Christmas, Slayer Style

by Jinxgirl



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 02:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2755421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinxgirl/pseuds/Jinxgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a Fuffy fluffy series of Christmas stories. AU. Inspired from a story by Zoe Saugin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ABCs of Christmas, Slayer Style

ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

Author notes: I got the idea from Zoe Saugin, and in fact stole her entire format. Here is her story here: s/3963796/1/ABCs_of_Christmas But of course this story/series of stories is entirely my own. Basically each chapter is a short Fuffy story having to do with Christmas. This is very fluffy/sappy, a nice counterbalance for Bonded, which once again seems temporarily stalled, and this will have very frequent updates I'm sure since each chapter is so short. Very AU as well. Each chapter takes place not in chronological order…basically Buffy and Faith are together as a couple, for many years in some, only a short while in others.

1\. A is for Angel

"Can I put the angel on yet?" asked Callie, and her tiny six-year-old body shifted impatiently as she hung close to her mother's side. She had been 'helping' decorate the Christmas tree earlier, but given that with her limited height, she could only reach to put the ornaments so far and her childish nature made her first participate eager, but then quickly losing her interest. Now, it seemed, the only reason she was hanging around at all was so she would not be denied the pleasure of putting the angel on the tree's top.

Buffy kept her voice patient as she addressed her, even this entire family-tree-decorating affair was no going at all the way she had envisioned.

"You know we do that last, honey, the angel is the last thing we do. We put it on after the entire tree is finished."

"Why?" Callie asked, her tone of voice and the face she made to back it up making Buffy grit her teeth in irritation. She did NOT get that attitude from HER, that was for sure. "Why do we have do it THEN? How come I can't do it now?"

"It's a tradition, Callie," Buffy told her a little less patiently than before. "That's the way me and my mother did it, so that's the way we're gonna do it now."

"Well that's stupid," Callie declared, crossing her arms; she was still standing very close to Buffy as Buffy hung several colored balls, deliberately trying to wear down Buffy's firmness towards her. "I don't want traditions. And how come only you make me do tradition things, Mommy- how come MAMA doesn't?"

Buffy looked over at the woman in question she was being compared to, who had been watching her casually from the couch; Faith had declared herself to be 'supervising,' but the truth, Buffy suspected, was she got greater amusement from watching her lover and their daughter butt heads over tree decorating then she got out of actually helping. And sure enough, Faith was grinning, eyes twinkling in a way that made Buffy simultaneously want to kiss her and to slap her.

"Mama had traditions too, Cal," Faith said casually, "but there weren't any we're gonna repeat here with you."

Buffy knew what she was referring to; Faith's childhood Christmases had not been the happy fare hers had been at all. But Callie, of course, did not understand, and she frowned, dark eyes narrowing in a small pale face.

"What traditions? How come we gotta do Mommy's and we can't do yours? What if I like yours better, Mama?"

"Trust me, Cal," Faith said wryly, raising an eyebrow. "Mommy's are better. And besides, she's almost done anyway, aren't you, B?"

Buffy wasn't, and she gave Faith a pointed, indignant look. But Callie was already tugging at her arm, bouncing on the tip of her toes…

"You are? Will you lift me up to put it on then? Hey…how come it's named after Uncle Angel anyway? It's a /girl/…and Uncle Angel doesn't wear dresses, or have wings…but he is dead though. Can you be a vampire and angel too? "

Faith snorted with laughter at that, and even Buffy had to smile as she gave in, lifting her daughter under her arms and holding her up so that her small arms stretched out to reach the tree tops… and couldn't quite make it. Buffy, apparently, was a few inches too short to allow her to reach.

"Uh, Faith?" she said, looking back to the smirking brunette again. "You're not off the hook with the decorating experience after all…."

Chapter 2: B is for Believe  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

2\. B is for Believe

"You never believed in Santa Claus?!" Buffy asked incredulously, staring at the younger Slayer with something approaching horror spread across her features. "Are you SERIOUS?!"

"Of course I didn't," Faith replied, shrugging, and her tone made it sound as if Buffy were the strange one to find a thing so shocking. "Okay, beyond the likelihood of an old man in a red suit having any interest in me who isn't a kiddy perve- a possibility that's probably more impossible than flying reindeer and fat men stuffing down chimneys and all- there was the whole-never-getting-what-I-asked-for thing. And sometimes nothing, if Mom forgot…and besides, she TOLD me there was no Santa. Let her off the hook with things, I guess."

Buffy stared at her, her hazel eyes wide as she searched Faith's face. The other girl's voice had been completely casual, her tone nonchalant, but there was a quick flash of…something…in her eyes that made Buffy think she wasn't quite as indifferent as she wanted to appear.

"Faith," she said slowly, stepping closer to her, and she wanted to touch her, to caress her cheek, slide her arms around her…but she kept still, respecting Faith's seeming need for space. "That's so sad…I'm sorry you couldn't have…"

"It's five by five, B," Faith cut her off quickly, and though there was a slight edge to her tone, she also seemed to genuinely believe it, or at least to want to. "Better than getting your hopes up over something fake and being all crushed when morning comes and you realize you were lied to…"

"But Faith," Buffy said gently, and she did touch her now, laying a hand softly on her shoulder as she looked into her eyes. "That's what Christmas is all about…hope, and belief, and, and-"

"Faith?" Faith said helpfully, a wry smile twisting her lips. "Isn't it about little Baby Jesusor something, too, B? Or so the story goes anyway…"

Buffy waved a hand somewhat dismissively. "Didn't see a God when I was in Heaven, so it kind of makes me doubt the validity of the whole Jesus thing to. But Faith, seriously…Santa was one of my best childhood memories. Reading all those poems and stories and singing those songs about him, visiting him in the mall putting out milk and cookies and waiting for morning to come so I could go in the living room and know he'd come…I can't believe you didn't have any of that," she said, shaking her head in continued disbelief. "I believed until I was twelve years old and they finally had to tell me. I was kind of devastated by that point…it was like my entire life had been a lie, " Buffy recounted, and she was by this point half smiling, half grimacing, some embarrassment in her tone, but also some sadness.

Faith, however, seemed to entirely miss the subtlety of her different emotions; she just stared, her eyes wide with disbelief, before laughing incredulously.

"Are you SERIOUS?! TWELVE?!"

"Yeah, I was somewhat sheltered, okay?" Buffy replied, a little more embarrassed at Faith's reaction. "When I was a little girl, anyway…"

Faith continued to snicker, her eyes sparkling with amusement, and Buffy had to wait for her to sober a little before she spoke to her again, her voice soft and serious.

"Faith…what did you believe in, as a little girl? Didn't you believe in anything at all?"

"No," Faith replied, her voice growing serious as well, and she shook her head a little, finally meeting Buffy's eyes. "No, B…I really didn't."

Hearing the honesty in her voice, wanting to deny its existence but knowing she could not, Buffy felt her heart squeeze with sadness, and tears priced her eyes. She wanted to be able to change Faith's past somehow, to go back to the little girl she had been and to give her everything she'd never had…never been allowed to have.

Seeing her expression change and seeming to finally realize what Buffy was feeling and thinking, Faith slipped her arms around her, hugging her gently and yet tightly. Pulling Buffy's head to her shoulder, she stroked it slowly, resting her cheek on her head. When she spoke, her voice was soft, but serious.

"I believe now, B. I believe in you. And when I'm with you…I believe in me too."

Buffy's heart squeezed, and she hugged her back harder; just saying those words, just being there with her, was the best gift she could be given.

Chapter 3: C is for Choir  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

2\. C is for Choir

Buffy snuck another glance around the cathedral, taking in her surroundings with something approaching fascination. She had never really attended church growing up, let alone a Catholic service, so all of this was new and slightly strange to her. The Rosary and blessings, the rituals and communion, the intensity of those around her… all in a large building lavishly decorated with stained glass windows and Corinthian architecture, its pulpit adorned with garland and poinsettias for the Christmas season.

She couldn't believe that she was where she was right now, fumbling her way through a Catholic Christmas service…but moreover, she couldn't believe that it was Faith who had insisted on them going.

Buffy had had no idea that Faith had been exposed to religion of any kind as a child, let alone Catholicism… but then, given her name, maybe it shouldn't have been such a shock. Still, for Faith to abruptly announce that she not only had attended church on and off as a kid, when her mother was sober enough to think to take her, but had also apparently possessed enough sentimentality- for she still proclaimed herself to be a devout atheist- to want to return now for Christmas…that, Buffy found astonishing. Faith, of all people, a closet sentimentalist…a closet Catholic…

Of course, Faith had not /said/ it was sentimentality that was her reason for wanting to return on this particular day…she hadn't said any reason at all, in fact. When Buffy had pressed her, expressing her incredulity, Faith had grown incredibly defensive, so she had backed off quickly. But it was obviously important for her to go, so she had done so, trying to hide the amusement and incredulity it still gave her.

And now she had been here with Faith for the past hour or so, and she seemed to be taking it pretty seriously. Buffy copied Faith's movements with crossing herself as best as she could, knowing she looked stupid and like the fake she obviously was. But what was she supposed to do, stand there with her arms at her sides? And hey, Faith was a phony too, if she was really the atheist she claimed to be…

The sermon had ended about ten minutes ago, and Buffy had found her mind drifting during it. It was much more interesting to look around at the other people, subtly, of course…and to look at Faith. She still couldn't believe the intensity of Faith's expression, the serious concentration in her eyes…man, considering everything she knew about the younger woman, and their current more-than-sisterly relationship, who would have thought she'd ever drag her into a Catholic church?

A choir had come out when the sermon ended, and they were on their third song now, one that Buffy had never heard before. Again she glanced over at Faith in the seat beside her, attempting to judge her reaction…and for far from the first time that evening, she was amazed.

Faith was crying…her eyes fixated on the singing figures before her, she was crying, tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. She didn't attempt to wipe them or stop them…she just sat there, letting them fall, and for once did not try to hide them.

Buffy had no idea what had caused them, what thoughts must be running through her head…all she knew was that her heart was squeezing with love and sympathy for her, and that it really didn't matter anymore whether she understood. All she cared about was letting her know that she was there, that she would not ask or push her.

Deliberately not looking at Faith, keeping her eyes trained on the singers as well, Buffy took her hand, wrapping her fingers around it and squeezing gently. Within a few moments she felt Faith squeeze back, and they sat with fingers intertwined, allowing the choir's voices to echo around them.

Chapter 4: D is for Deck the halls  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

4\. D is for "Deck the halls"

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la la, la la la la! Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la la la, la la la la!"

Buffy grimaced as the sound of Andrew's nasal singing voice assaulted her ears yet again; the kid just didn't seem to be aware of the sad fact that he not only couldn't carry a tune, but also was singing one of the most annoying Christmas songs ever invented. Despite the fact that it was in fact a Christmas gathering they were at- or rather, a 'holiday' gathering, as the Jewish Willow had insisted- there was such a thing as too much gladness and cheer. Especially when it came to Andrew and his singing.

Apparently he only knew the first two lines of the song, for when everyone tried their hardest to ignore him, he started over.

"Deck the halls with boughs of-"

"I'm gonna deck YOUR halls if you don't shut up," Kennedy threatened, the first, as usual, to snap. As Andrew halted in his singing, looking at her worriedly, Willow gave her a reproving look.

"Baby…be nice…"

"Like that's gonna work, Red," Faith smirked. "That's like telling me to be unsexy. Or Andrew to be cool. Or Dawn to be unbratty. Or B to be-"

"Do you really want to finish that sentence, FAITHY?" Buffy asked with great emphasis, arching an eyebrow. Faith, of course, just grinned.

Drifting over to where Xander and Dawn sat, perhaps thinking them better protection than the girls across the room, Andrew started to sing again deliberately.

"I'mmmm dreaming of a whiiiiiite Christmas…"

"Bet that's not the only thing you're dreaming of…and bet I know why it's so white," Kennedy muttered, and Faith guffawed, eyes shining in appreciation.

"NICE one!"

As the bantering continued, it all seemed so familiar to Buffy, so comforting in a way. Strange as they were, this was her family, and this all seemed so normal and ordinary…so utterly, entirely enjoyable, in the course of a life that carried so few such moments.

Author note: Know that one was short and lame. Couldn't think of anything else to start with D. Next few will be longer/funnier, promise.

Chapter 5: E is for Eggnog  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

5\. E is for eggnog

"Hey B," Faith called as she came up behind her in the living room, and Buffy noticed immediately that her voice was slurred, her walking slightly unsteady. "What's going on…"

She wrapped her arms around her from behind, but Buffy tried to turn to face her, her suspicions raised.

"Faith, you're drunk, aren't you? Would you mind explaining to me why you're drunk the day before our Christmas party when you KNOW there's a lot I need you to help me with around here?"

"I'm not drunk, B," Faith insisted, although her continued slightly slurred tone made it very clear that this was untrue. "Nope…not…"

She continued to keep her arms tightly around Buffy's waist, and now she pressed her face into the back of her shoulder as well, so that the older Slayer could feel her hot breath through her shirt. Buffy managed to turn around in her arms to face her, prying Faith slightly away from her so she could look into her face while still keeping a supportive arm around her.

"Faith, you're drunk. Don't lie to me. What exactly what it you were drinking- you KNOW how hard liquor affects you…"

"NOTHING…I wasn't drinking nothin'," Faith insisted, even as her expression, tone, and posture told otherwise. "Just eggnog is all…so lay offa me…"

Buffy's eyes widened, and her grip on Faith loosened as she stared in part disbelief, part horror.

"Faith! Are you talking about the eggnog in the punch bowl on the table?!"

"Yeah…"

"That was for the party tomorrow! And not only that, it's almost 75% alcohol! How did you not taste that- and how much did you drink?"

"Don't know," Faith muttered. "It was good…didn't think you'd make me count cups…"

"Oh god, no wonder you're drunk, you probably drank half of the entire bowl," Buffy muttered, shaking her head with incredulity. "That was for TOMORROW, you're only supposed to have like one or two cups…"

"Shoulda put a warning up there, B…nutrition label…"Faith replied. "How was I supposed to know…"

"Well maybe when you TASTED it, it should have kicked in- oh god!" Buffy cried sharply, as a thought struck her. Her arm tightened around Faith automatically as she looked quickly into her eyes. "Faith, where's Callie?"

As she had dread, a guilty glint came into the brunette's eyes as the realization came to her. "Uh…"

"Faith, tell me you didn't give her any eggnog," Buffy almost begged. "Please-"

"Uh…"

"YOU GAVE OUR FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ALCOHOLIC EGGNOG?!"

"She…she went to sleep…"

As Buffy let go of Faith hurriedly enough that the other woman stumbled, she raced through the house toward her daughter's bedroom, worrying about her daughter's possible sickness. Maybe Faith had a point…between having a child and a lover who was still three quarters child herself sometimes, a nutrition label might be in order for next time. Or maybe a big red stop sign would be better…

Chapter 6: F is for Frost  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

F is for Frost

Buffy grinned as she dodged out of the path of Faith's third hurled snowball in the past sixty seconds- each one thrown as fast and recklessly as she could make it. All this because Buffy had made a comment about how cute she looked in her borrowed, forced-upon-her snowsuit…

"Looks like someone's losing their edge, Faithy," she grinned, deliberately provoking her even further. "Or maybe it's the snowsuit…must be hard to move in even if it makes you look so cute…"

The next snowball hit her directly in the face; Buffy hadn't even seen it coming. As she stood there in shock, gasping with the cold and wetness of snow sliding off her face, and feeling herself redden with fury and embarrassment, she heard Faith laugh uproariously.

"Who's losing their edge now, B? 'Cause seems to be you're the one with a wet face…"

Growling under her breath, Buffy lunged towards her, which of course prompted Faith to take off, her movements not quite as hampered by her snowsuit as Buffy would have liked. Not as fast as usual herself in her winter gear, Buffy began to chase her, snarling half in jest, half in serious intent just how bad Faith was going to get it for that…

It was the first time in almost six years that either had seen snow, and both were enjoying it thoroughly. It seemed fitting to Buffy that her first time seeing snow had been with Faith, and now, her second time was with Faith as well…

Okay, well, it hadn't been JUST Faith, it had been Angel too. In fact, mostly Angel. And her mother had been there too. But still, Faith had been there…and she was here now with her. And despite the brunette's professed lack of enthusiasm over snowmen and snow angels, snow suits and anything other than snow flinging, Buffy knew she was having fun. This was one of their first experiences as a couple, a state so new that it still felt strange and a little scary to think about, let alone say. And yet at the same time it sent a thrill down her spine almost as intensely as if Faith were actually touching her physically herself…

The young women clomped around in the snow after each other for a few more minutes, laughing and shouting and snatching at each other, before Buffy finally managed to snag Faith around the waist. She threw her down to the ground, but Faith managed to grab hold of her so that Buffy tumbled down onto the snow beside her as well. Still laughing loudly, still holding onto each other, the Slayers lay there as their laughter died down slowly, enjoying the moment, aware of the other's closeness and breathing rate.

Finally Buffy broke the wordless near spell between them, looking over at Faith with a sly grin.

"You give?"

Faith grinned back, her smile spreading more slowly.

"Only to you, B…"

Her heart fluttering, Buffy rolled closer to her, cupping Faith's face in her hands as she kissed her. Around them, soft flakes continued to fall, soaking slowly into their clothing and the ground beneath them.

Author note- totally sappy, I know. lol

Chapter 7: G is for Grinch  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

G is for Grinch

"You've never seen the Grinch?" Buffy asked in disbelief, staring at the brunette standing casually before her with something approaching horror. "How could you never have watched the Grinch?! That's like THE Christmas show- it's, it's not American not to have seen it!"

"Nope," Faith said easily, completely unruffled by Buffy's reaction. "Our TV reception sucked when I was a kid, I didn't bother trying to watch much. Didn't care enough to when I was older."

"But Faith- how could you not have seen it at least one time?!" Buffy sputtered, opening her arms up dramatically. "Even Willow has seen it, and she's Jewish! She was banned from Christmas as a kid! Come on, you never saw it even once? Fuzzy green mean guy who takes Christmas from all the Whos?"

"The who's?" Faith asked, frowning slightly. "Who's who?"

"The WHOS! You know- Cindy Lou, who was no more than two, and all the rest of them. Little weird antler things- I can't believe you've never seen it!" Buffy cried, shaking her head in disbelief. "It was Dawn's favorite show ever…we wanted to adopt Max, the Grinch's dog he dressed up like a reindeer…"

"Sounds pretty stupid to me," Faith interrupted bluntly, shrugging. "Like I probably wasn't missing much."

Buffy's eyes widened even further, and abruptly she grabbed Faith's hand, starting to lead her over to the couch. Faith followed, confused if willing, and as Buffy almost jerked her to sit down next to her, fumbling for the remote control, Faith looked at her in confusion.

"It comes on like ten times a day when it's close to Christmas…so YOU are gonna sit here and watch it with me as soon as I find a time close enough. Never saw the Grinch, I can't believe this…"

Faith just grinned as Buffy continued to mutter to herself, and she made herself comfortable snuggling up against her side. She wasn't about to complain.

Chapter 8: H is for Hot chocolate  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

H is for Hot chocolate

"Callie, be careful with that, you'll burn your tongue," Buffy instructed her daughter as the five year old took the warm beverage from her eagerly, dark eyes sparkling in a manner that never failed to remind her of Faith. "And don't spill, it's going to stain if you do. Maybe you should stay here by the sink with that…"

"I'm careful, Mommy," Callie assured her none too convincingly, just as she took a big gulp and took off with the drink, much more quickly than Buffy would have liked. Watching her, Buffy cringed, restraining herself from either calling after her or following. She could just see the stains now- or worse, Callie dumping it on herself and getting burned.

"She's fine, B," came Faith's voice from the kitchen table, sounding amused from the expression no doubt easily read on Buffy's face. "It's barely lukewarm. And it's not like there's not a hundred other stains in the carpet around here…"

"Thanks Faith, it's very comforting of you to remind me that the house is a complete disaster zone and I'm a slob," Buffy said dryly, pouring herself some hot chocolate as well.

Already having finished her own, Faith stood and walked towards her, smiling playfully. "Oh come on B, you know there's no point in cleaning. Between me, Callie, and random demon break ins, we replace the carpet every few months anyway. We oughtta just get wood floors and be done with it."

"But carpets look homier," Buffy grumbled. "Wood floors look like a guy's house…"

Smirking, Faith looped an arm around Buffy's waist, pulling her hips in so that they stood pelvis to pelvis. She kissed Buffy's forehead with odd tenderness, and then, to Buffy's surprise, licked her nose.

Off of Buffy's look, she grinned. "What? You had whipped cream there…looked yummy."

Grinning herself, Buffy hugged her back, just before sneaking in her own lick. Not on her nose, however, but her neck…

Chapter 9: I is for Ice skating  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

I is for Ice skating

Buffy smiled to herself as she skated smoothly across the ice, avoiding the edges of the rink, where most skaters remained, and instead cutting through and around the center. She felt completely content right now, not only because of the relaxing physical activity she always enjoyed, but also because all those she cared about were with her as well…

She still wasn't sure how she'd managed it, but somehow she had convinced everyone to take an afternoon off to go ice skating with her. It was the only Christmas-like activity that they all agreed to, particularly since not all celebrated Christmas. The rink was crowded, for a good many of the newer Slayers had come too…

Buffy could see Xander moving about in his usual reckless way, often nearly colliding with some of the girls in a way that looked suspiciously deliberate to her. Willow and Kennedy were clinging to the side, with Kennedy patiently coaching the awkward, slightly skittish Willow. Dawn was zooming around easily, with Andrew struggling- and failing- to keep up, falling often and painfully. Even Giles had come, and Buffy was surprised to see that he was actually rather skilled.

And Faith…Faith was there too. She had never gone skating before, but after the first few clumsy minutes she seemed to have gotten the hang of it. For the past ten minutes or so she had been skating at a fairly good clip, even maneuvering around the others.

Just then, as if in response to her thoughts, she could sense Faith coming up behind her a few moments before the other girl grabbed her around the waist, almost making the both of them fall. Buffy gasped a little, putting out her arm to balance.

"Faith! Don't do that!"

"Do what?" Faith grinned, still hanging onto her arm. "Skate with you? And here you are usually all touchy girl…"

"Of course I am," Buffy said, giving her a little smirk. "But someone here still needs a little instruction."

She reached for Faith's hand, wrapping her fingers tightly around it. As Faith squeezed back, a little startled but willing, Buffy began to lead her around the garland-and-lights-bedecked rink. Breathing in the icy freshness of the air and feeling Faith's hands in hers…a perfect combination.

Chapter 10: J is or Jingle Bell Hat  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer style

J is for Jingle bell hat

"Oh I love it!" Willow almost squealed, and she even went so far as to clap her hands together in excitement. "Ohhh I can't believe this…you….it's so-"

"Don't say it," Faith warned darkly, and her expression was almost murderous as she fixated narrowed eyes on the beaming witch before her. "You say it, and I'll-"

"She's right, it does look good," Xander piped up, a goofy grin on his face as well, and yet the wicked teasing gleam in his eye gave away exactly why he was enjoying this. "You ought to wear it every day, Faith…and out in public, so everyone can see it…"

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you if you say one more word!" Faith snapped, eyes flashing. "And you KNOw I didn't decide to wear the damn thing, you KNOW I don't like it, you three just forced it on me-"

"Awww come on baby, you know you like it," Buffy grinned, slipping an arm around her shoulders playfully and giving her an affectionate little squeeze. "You don't have to pretend…"

"Yeah, Faith, I saw the look in your eyes when you first saw it…we all knew you wouldn't rest until it was on you," Dawn grinned, piping up as well as she deliberately looked the older girl up and down.

"Oh you too now, Pipsqueak? As if there little bitches aren't enough," Faith muttered, and Xander looked offended.

"Hey! I am male here…and therefore not a bitch."

"Oh I beg to differ," Faith snapped nastily, and Dawn snorted in appreciation.

"Oh come on Faithy," Buffy smirked, still keeping her arm around her, and knowing both the touch and nickname infuriated her further. "You don't have to be embarrassed-"

"B…"Faith growled.

"Just because you look so cute-"

"BUFFY I AM FUCKING WARNING YOU-"

"In Callie's Jingle Bell hat," Buffy finished triumphantly, and there was a wicked gleam in her eyes too now.

Just then a little figure appeared in the doorway, and a small voice called out in surprise, "Mama?"

Completely pissed off and humiliated now, her face reddening, Faith's hands formed fists at her sides, to the others' amusement. Unaware, Callie came closer, her face breaking out into a broad smile.

"Mama, you're wearing my Jingle bell hat! You look silly!"

"No, sweetie," Buffy grinned, squeezing Faith again and knowing from the tension of her muscles that she'd be in for it later. But now, she was having way too much fun to care. "She looks cute!"

"Nope," Callie decided, shaking her head with a little frown. "Silly."

She reached up to take it off her mother's head, as the others roared with laughter, and Faith's face burned brighter than the ribbons on the wreath behind her. She was SO gonna get them for this…

Chapter 11: K is for Keeping secrets  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

K is for Keeping secrets

"Faith, what are you doing?"

Faith jerked her head up in a hurry, straightening so fast that she smacked her head on the closet shelf. Cursing loudly, she put a hand to the sore spot, scowling in response to Buffy's amused look.

"Gee, could that be karma for snooping?"

"I was NOT snooping," Faith said with as much dignity as she could muster while standing in front of Buffy's open closet and holding a hand to her head. "I was looking for something."

"Yeah I know…something like a Playstation 3 with your name on it," Buffy smirked, shaking her head. "You know I told you not to go digging around in closets for your presents…I want you to be surprised."

"I wasn't," Faith insisted, "I was looking for my jacket."

"Faith, you're WEARING your jacket."

"My other jacket! This one's too hot!"

"Faith, you wear that jacket when it's eighty degrees outside. Which it is, by the way."

"Well today I didn't want to," Faith insisted, finally stepping away from the closet reluctantly. "Can't a girl change her mind once in a while, shake it up some?"

"I know what you were wanting to shake up, Faith…every single gift you could get your hands on," Buffy said dryly. "But don't bother looking in there again- there's nothing in there for you. I hid yours in a much better place."

She smirked at her again before leaving the room. Faith tried to keep her expression neutral, as if she didn't care one way or another, but the moment Buffy left the room she scowled darkly.

"Yeah, I noticed that, B, I was starting to think you didn't get me anything at all yet," she muttered. "Now come on, where else would you hide them? If not a closet, where? Not the trunk of the car…not under the bed…hmmm…"

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, Buffy was peeking in the hall closet, searching for Faith's gifts to her as she frequently and guiltily glanced about.

Chapter 12: L is for Lights  
ABC's of Christmas, Slayer Style

L is for Lights

The two women stood at the edge of the tiny yard, arms around each other's waists, looking up at their handiwork with satisfied admiration. It had taken a couple of hours, but the small house was finally bedecked in the colored strings of Christmas lights that Faith, surprisingly, rather than Buffy, had insisted upon having. Now that the ordeal of putting them up was finished, they could just stand back and look at the way it flickered against the darkening night sky.

"Looks nice," Buffy said finally, her voice soft, almost dreamy. "Even if Xander almost electrocuted himself before we took over…"

Faith snorted, dimples popping at the memory. "That was hilarious, I gotta say. To be a construction worker, the man's still scary around ladders…"

Buffy smiled wryly, nodding in agreement. "It looks good though…cheery."

"Yeah…I always liked Christmas lights," Faith said, somewhat more softly than Buffy was used to hearing from her, enough for her to turn her head towards her slightly, listening closely. "The colored ones, not the boring whites, or the plain red or blues that look all Twilight Zoney."

"I thought you probably did," Buffy said just as quietly, giving her another gentle squeeze. "I remember back in Sunnydale, when you first came…you had some in your motel room around Christmas time."

Her words were gentle, trying for casual, because she knew that was how she would want it; even now, talking about that time was hard for them both. But Faith just sighed a little, nodding.

"Yeah…like I said, I like 'em."

Knowing that this would be the end of it, Buffy lay her head on Faith's shoulder, her arm still around her. A moment later she felt Faith lean her head into hers as well, and she knew it was okay. Things were better now…there would be no going back to that, the way it had been before.

"I love you," she said softly, her head still nestled into Faith's shoulder.

Faith did not reply, but Buffy felt her arm tighten around her even more securely, her head moving slightly, and she knew that she was repeating the words in her own way.

Chapter 13: M is for Mistletoe  
M is for Mistletoe

"GOD! Xander, walking PAST the mistletoe does NOT count as standing underneath it beside you!" Dawn almost shrieked as she tried to pull her wrist out of Xander's grasp, and he attempted simultaneously to pull her towards him. "If you're gonna station yourself under the doorway all day, at least learn the mistletoe rules! You can NOT kiss someone who's just walking past…can you?" she asked with sudden self doubt, glancing back at the others behind her.

Kennedy shrugged, her eyes narrowing slightly. "All I know is he's not kissing MY girl. I don't care where she's walking."

"That was already accomplished long before you were in the picture, Ken," Buffy said wryly, smiling at Kennedy's swivel-headed glance at Willow and the redhead's blushing, somewhat sheepish response. "And Xan," she said more sternly, her eyes narrowing rather like Kennedy's, "hands- AND lips- off my little sister, I don't care if she's eighteen now. Find a new holiday activity."

Prying his hand from around Dawn's wrist, she yanked him out of the mistletoe-bedecked doorway, shoving him through toward the kitchen none too subtly.

"Go make hot chocolate."

"Kinda have to start an activity to end it, Buff," Xander mumbled, even as she shuffled, somewhat disappointed, if not surprised, into the kitchen. "What are the odds…all these females constantly surrounding me, and not ONE of them is willing to give one little kiss in the spirit of Christmas. Where's your sense of tradition?"

"I'M not a female," Andrew piped up, his eyes wide, as if this were somehow supposed to reassure Xander. When Xander and the girls just looked at him, Kennedy openly smirking, Andrew looked at them back, brow furrowed with confusion. "What?"

Buffy just shook her head before turning around, intending to go back out of the kitchen to rejoin the others…but someone was standing in the doorway, blocking her path. Faith grinned as she casually slid one hand up above her head on the door frame, jutting one hip out as she met Buffy's eyes mischievously.

"Comin' through here, B?"

"Finally someone understands the entire purpose of the mistletoe…" Xander said with a goofy smile. He started to head towards her, but a strong hand against his chest quickly stopped him in his tracks.

"On second thought, Xander, I think you need to make several hot chocolates," Buffy said with a raised eyebrow that was clear in its implication.

Giving him a little shove back towards the kitchen, she joined Faith under the doorway. Slipping her arms around her waist, she pulled her close and looked into her brown eyes. As they sparkled in response to her, Buffy leaned in to kiss her.

They could hear Xander muttering behind them, in his usual half joking, half serious tone. "Like they really need the mistletoe to go at it…just trying to hog the spotlight, aren't you?"

They ignored him.

Chapter 14: N is for Nativity Play  
N is for Nativity Play

"I really can't believe the irony of this," Buffy muttered, shifting herself in discomfort in one of the tiny child-sized chairs that had been provided for the adult-sized parents of the children performing in their daughter's class's Christmas play. This chair arrangement was completely and totally ridiculous in Buffy's opinion. "Our daughter…a child born to a lesbian, SLAYER couple, by mystical means…a child who's a Slayer herself…THAT CHILD is the one they pick to play the Virgin Mary…"

"Isn't it a killer?" Faith grinned, dimples flashing with her amusement. "Damn, if they only knew…they'd probably end up casting Cal as Judas or something. Or maybe Satan. Is Satan somewhere in the Christmas story?"

"I don't think so…" Buffy said a little uncertainly. "And see, that's what I'm talking about, Faith! You're sitting here surrounded by all these teachers and little kids, as our daughter is backstage all dressed up like the mother of God, and you're using words like killer and damn!"

"Oh that's nothing," Faith shrugged, her eyes glinting in a way that made Buffy look at her suspiciously. "I could really give 'em an education if you want…"

She deliberately rested her hand high up on Buffy's thigh, stroking it slowly as her grin widened, making her resemble an evil little elf in her features. Buffy's eyes widened, and she swatted Faith's hand away, looking around quickly to see who had seen.

"Faith!"

"Curtain's opening, B," Faith said, and she quickly dropped her insinuative tone, her voice lowering as she leaned forward with an eagerness that made Buffy smile in spite of herself. "Let's see our little star go hog the spotlight."

Buffy quickly and unconsciously mirrored her movements, already smiling as she waited for Callie's appearance.

Chapter 15: O is for Ornaments  
O is for Ornaments

"Look Mommy! I made another ornament!" Callie called out enthusiastically, racing into the living room to show off her newest creation.

Buffy made herself smile as she looked over her first grader's newest design- a cut-out circle with glitter and excessive, not-quite-dry glue scattered about its surface, a hook hastily jammed through a corner.

"Uh, that's great, Callie…you've been making an awful lot of these lately, haven't you?"

"Yep!" Callie replied, bobbing her small blond head enthusiastically. "Let's go hang it up with the other ones!"

At that, Buffy had to restrain herself from cringing. In the past week or so, Callie was suddenly very interested in designing her own, hardly-professional-looking ornaments. Which was fine, of course…except that she was expecting every single one of them to end up on the Christmas tree. Buffy had done so willingly enough at first, thinking it cute..but this was Callie Creation Number 37, and she seemed to be showing no signs of stopping. The ornaments made by a first grader were taking over the entire Christmas tree- a tree that Buffy had gotten to look so nice…

Nevertheless, Buffy took the 'ornament' from her and hung it, watching as Callie beamed in satisfaction. This must have been how Mom felt, with me and Dawn…and she had the both of us to pacify, she thought to herself as Callie ran off to her room.

She sensed Faith appearing in the doorway and looked up to see her grin, a knowing look in her eyes as she came towards her by the tree.

"Face it, B…you're a mommy now," she said playfully, slipping an arm loosely around her shoulders and giving them a little shake. "Bye bye clean house, and unlimited privacy…and bye bye crap-free Christmas tree."

"You're a mommy too," Buffy shot back a little defensively, "in fact, you're the one that gave birth to her. Just because you're younger than me-"

"Yeah, but I'm not the sucker," Faith smirked. "And Callie knows it."

Buffy scowled, wanting to protest at that, but she knew it was true. SO annoying…

"Well then why don't YOU tell her not to make any more?" she shot back.

"Because I really don't think it's a big deal," Faith said casually, giving her another squeeze. "And I'm waiting to watch the dramatics when you finally can't stand it anymore and tell her to take them down."

Buffy pulled away from her indignantly then, giving her a shove as she glared at her. "Faith, you're so horrible!"

"But at least I'm not a sucker…"

Buffy just scowled.

Chapter 16: P is for Partridge  
P is for Partridge

"Mommy, what's a partridge?"

Buffy looked down at her daughter with some surprise, stopping in her stake-whittling to regard her.

"Uh…a TV family?" she said uncertainly.

Callie's face scrunched up in confusion with that response. "What's he doing climbing a pear tree? And how can you give someone a person for Christmas?"

Buffy stared at her blankly, lost, then frowned, starting to get a little worried.

"Pear tree? There aren't any pear trees around here…where is this pear tree? And why is someone selling it? You can't sell a person! That would be illegal, that's called slavery, and slavery is illegal! Who's selling people- are there demons involved?" Buffy asked rapidly, standing up.

Behind her Faith guffawed, snorting incredulously.

"You're such a ditz, B…no one's selling anyone or climbing any pear trees. She's talking about a song, aren't you, Cal? The one with turtle doves and golden rings and ladies dancing…"

"What? A wedding song?" Buffy asked, more confused than ever. "Where did Callie learn a wedding song?"

Faith sputtered with laughter again, even longer and louder this time. "NO, blondie, "The Twelve Days of Christmas! You can't tell me you've never heard that before!"

"Ohhh," Buffy realized, starting to flush with embarrassment. "Right…"

"You know Mommy… 'on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…'" Callie sang, earnest, not seeming to find it nearly as amusing as Faith did. "Hey, how come WE don't get twelve days of Christmas?"

"Because we'd be stacking up debt on Santa's credit cards," Buffy said dryly. Fixing an eye on Faith, who was still snickering, she added, "And I know a certain true love around here who won't be getting anything but coal and a switch for Christmas if she doesn't shut up fast…"

"Oooh, you gonna spank me, B?" Faith grinned wickedly, eyes gleaming. Buffy slapped her forearm as her eyes widened in alarm, and she glanced over at Callie quickly.

"Faith, stop that!"

"You can't spank Mama, Mommy, she's a grown-up," Callie protested, her brow wrinkling. "And Santa Claus will bring her stuff…"

"Yeah, B," Faith grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "SANTA Claus likes me…"

"Well, yeah, of course he would, as long as you were sitting on his lap-"

"B!" Faith exclaimed, actually a little shocked herself, and now it was her turn to look over hurriedly at the oblivious Callie.

"You're too big, Mama, you might hurt him. He's an old man, you know," Callie said seriously, and now it was Buffy's turn to snicker.

"Yeah, Faith, you're too big…"

"You never seem to feel that way yourself, B- not what you said last night-" Faith started to shoot back dangerously.

But Callie, scowling now, obviously fed up with their banter, interrupted them, putting her hands on her narrow hips. "You never told me- what's a partridge?"

The two women glanced at each other blankly, then both shrugged simultaneously.

"Dunno…"

"Uh…don't know, Callie…"

"Figures," Callie muttered before heading off to her room.

Chapter 17: Q is for Quiet  
Q is for Quiet

The house seemed to be mirroring the famous Christmas poem by Samuel Clemmons…here it was, Christmas Eve, and the house really was entirely silent. They had put Callie to bed hours ago, had already placed all the gifts under the tree…the milk and cookies placed out for 'Santa' had already been eaten by Faith, who had just grinned with a mouthful of chocolate when Buffy had glared at her for not sharing. And now Faith was curled up next to her in bed, turned away from her and deep in sleep…and for once, she wasn't even snoring or talking in her sleep, didn't even seem to be having any active dreams.

It was just after midnight, and the house in the first moments of Christmas was utterly still, utterly peaceful.

And Buffy hated it. Unable to get to sleep, unable to block out a quiet that seemed so utterly loud, she shifted about, annoyed by Faith's ability to sleep undeterred. It was so annoying…

But she had to admit that Faith was adorable asleep… even though her face was turned away, just watching her slender back and shoulders, her spill of dark hair tousled about her pillow, made Buffy's irritation lessen.

Inching closer to her in the bed on sudden impulse, Buffy wrapped her arms around her, nuzzling her face into Faith's shoulder. When Faith didn't stir, Buffy adjusted herself so that her body was pressed against her, beginning to caress her arm. Moving Faith's hair back from her face and shoulder gently, Buffy gave first her shoulder, then her neck, a gentle kiss, wrapping her arms more snugly around her.

"Faith," she whispered, kissing her shoulder again. "Wake up, baby…"

Faith groaned, moving her head slightly, and tried to pull away, but Buffy tightened her arms around her, kissing her just behind her ear.

"Faith…wake up, sweetie…"

Faith moaned again, longer this time, and Buffy felt her stir a little more this time, her voice hoarse with sleep when she spoke.

"Whaddaya want…leave me alone…"

Buffy smiled to herself in victory as she caressed Faith's hair again, running her fingers gently down her arm before kissing her cheek softly.

"Faithy….open your eyes…"

Making another groggy, grumbling noise of protest, Faith opened her eyes into slits, rolling around to face Buffy. Buffy's smile widened as she took in her tousled hair and grouchy, still tired expression…minus the dark hair, she looked so much like Callie then to her.

"What's goin' on…why you makin' me get up…it's not morning…"

Buffy pulled her to a sitting position before hugging her to her side, kissing her this time on her lips.

"I couldn't sleep…I thought maybe we could…you know…"

Faith's eyes narrowed even further, and she sat up a little straighter as she gave Buffy a disbelieving look.

"You woke me up on Christmas Eve 'cause you wanna have SEX?"

"Uh…"Buffy said vaguely, flushing slightly.

"B…you know it's past midnight…and Cal's gonna get us up in another four or five hours…right?" Faith continued in the same tone, and Buffy squirmed a little more.

"Well…yeah…"

"Alright then, just making sure..." Faith finished. Her eyes clearing, beginning to sparkle with much more alert glee, she pulled Buffy closer into a deep kiss. Buffy's immediate moan in response reassured her that the silence wasn't going to last much longer.

Chapter 18: R is for Reindeer  
R is for Reindeer

"Mommy…what…"

Callie's eyes were very wide, her mouth open slightly as she looked between the two women she had wandered into the living room and caught sight of. There was something like awe in her expression…but also something approaching shock and horror.

"Yes, honey?" Buffy asked sweetly, barely holding back her grin. "You wanted to ask me something?"

Callie's eyes were glued to Faith now, and they scanned her form rapidly several times before she spoke again, her voice hushed slightly.

"What's wrong with Mama?"

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked innocently, and now Faith was hiding a grin as well. "Nothing's wrong with her. Why would you think something's wrong?"

"Why does she look like that?" Callie insisted, her features starting to draw together anxiously, her voice going up a little higher in pitch. "And she's SMILING…"

"Well why wouldn't she be smiling?" Buffy said in the same innocent tone, looking at her daughter in seeming puzzlement. "And what do you mean, why does she look like this? Mama always looks like this, don't you, Faith? It's Christmas time, after all…"

"Yep," Faith nodded, still barely holding back her grin. "Gotta get in the spirit, Cal."

"But you NEVER get in the spirit!" Callie cried, her eyes growing wider and more anxious than ever. "You say it's stupid and silly! You HATE Christmas spirit! And you hate people that dress like that-"

"No, of course I don't," Faith replied in seeming astonishment, her eyes widening. "Where would you get that idea, Cal? And why would I hate people that dress like this for Christmas? It's so CUTE!"

At those words Callie's eyes widened even further, and her face grew stricken, almost blanching. She backed out of the room quickly, almost running by the time she had turned around, without saying anything in response. She had barely disappeared down the hall before Faith burst out laughing, dimples popping broadly as she could no longer contain herself. Buffy was smiling too even as she attempted to give Faith a reproving look.

"You're so mean…you scared her to death, Faith."

"Yeah, wasn't it fun?" Faith snickered, still grinning. "Did you see how big her eyes got?"

"She probably thinks you're possessed or something," Buffy giggled.

"What? Just because I'm wearing a Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer sweater with a matching antler headband, red flashing nose, and a necklace make of Christmas tree lights?" FAith askead in mock disbelief. "Why in the world would she think that?"

Buffy grinned at her, her hazel eyes glowing as she took in Faith's outfit, made all the more ridiculous simply because she was Faith.

"You DO look cute, baby…"

Faith socked her hard in the shoulder; apparently there was a fine line between a prank and any indication of serious thought.

Chapter 19: S is for Savior  
S is for Savior

Author note: This one may offend some people…it was not intended to be sacrilegious. Keep in mind that the child in this story has been raised with basically no religion and it is her innocence talking. I myself am not saying anything of the kind that the people in the story say is my own personal beliefs, and they are not.

"Hey…can Jesus be a girl?"

Buffy and Faith glanced at each other, somewhat startled, over their daughter's head. She was seven years old, and even though she was going to play the Virgin Mary in her class's Christmas play this year- irony of all ironies- she hadn't expressed much of an interest in the people she and the other children were representing, or even the story they were, among other non-specifically-Christian ones, performing. Callie had seemed to regard it was just that, a story.

But still…they should have figured that sooner or later she'd start asking questions…

"Um, why do you want to know, Callie?" Buffy asked casually, stalling for time. Her daughter's religious education was not something she and Faith had often, if ever, discussed… on her part, Buffy had hoped to sidestep it entirely, let Callie decide on her own. And Faith seemed to feel the same.

"Can there be more than one Jesus?" Callie asked next, her tone just as earnest as before as she looked up at them both. "Can there be a whole, whole lot of Jesuses?"

Buffy and Faith looked at each other again, once more not having a clue as to what to say to that. Buffy tried for a smile, even as she fumbled for what to say.

"You have a lot of questions today, Callie…any particular reason?"

Callie shrugged in the quick, careless fashion that was pure Faith, even as she absent-mindedly pushed back a strand of blonde hair that more closely resembled Buffy's. "Well we're doing that play and all and Mrs. Reed was talkin' about it…and she said Jesus was a savior, that he came to save everyone. The whole entire world. So I was just thinking…you and Mama and Uncle Angel and Uncle Spike and Aunt Willow and Aunt Kennedy and Uncle Xander, all you guys, and all the Slayers everywhere…doesn't that mean you're all saviors too? 'Cause you all saved the world… and this Jesus only did the one time, you and Mama did a LOT. So does that mean you're even bigger saviors?"

The two women stared at their daughter in astonishment, utter shock in their expressions. For several moments neither could react in any sense. But then Faith started to laugh loudly, going on so long and forcefully that her eyes watered. Callie stared at her with something between confusion and hurt, not understanding her reaction.

"Oh man," Faith gasped at last, shaking her head. "I've been called a devil or a demon more times than I could count…but I never thought I'd live to see the day where I'd be compared to Jesus…and where I came out on TOP of Jesus…"

"Well, aren't you?" Callie demanded impatiently, and Faith started up all over again, barely able to take in a breath.

My child is such a heathen, Buffy thought in near horror, but also undeniable amusment- and she had no idea whether she should be upset or pleased over this.

"Callie, sweetie," she said finally, and she reached out to take her by the wrist, pulling her into her arms. "We're not Jesus…that's something different. We're just women with powers, and we use them to help people, is all. And PLEASE don't say anything about us being saviors to anyone, they really wouldn't like that."

"But a savior is someone who saves people…right?" Callie persisted. "And you and Mama save people…so that makes you saviors. Right?"

Buffy shot a pleading glance at Faith, who just shook her head, still snickering. "Kid has a point, B…you're on your own with this one…"

"Callie," Buffy tried again, taking in another breath. "Jesus is different than us, okay? Just…just trust me."

"Why, 'cause he's a man?" Callie frowned. "Then are Uncle Angel and Uncle Spike and Uncle Xander saviors? Are they? 'Cause they're all men…"

Buffy squared her shoulders, sending Faith another helpless-yet-increasingly-pissed-off look at Faith's continued lack of help, but Faith just grinned.

"Okay, Cal…can we talk about this later?" she said at last. "Tomorrow, next week, next year…maybe in the next three years…"

Surely by then she'd get it, right?

Chapter 20: T is for Tree  
T is for Tree

Faith's eyes were almost comically wide, her features stark with horror, and she stared into the living room with an expression that could only properly be described as scandalized. Watching her, Buffy had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from bursting out with loud laughter.

"That's- that's the tree you picked, B?!" Faith finally sputtered, and her horrified tone only increased Buffy's amusement that much more. "You picked THAT tree?! THAT is the tree you called me about earlier?!"

"Yeah, isn't it pretty?" Buffy said casually. "And so much less work than a real Christmas tree. I mean, real ones are nice, of course, but you have to water them and sweep up pine needles and then go throw it out afterward. Seems like a waste… and this one was so cheap-"

"No fuckin' wonder!" Faith sputtered, her eyes going over to Buffy in disbelief, and she gestured with her hand for emphasis. "Did you even SEE this tree, B? Can you SEE it- is there something wrong with your eyes? 'Cause I can't think of a single other reason why you would have BOUGHT the thing!"

"Of course there's nothing wrong with my eyes! There's nothing wrong with being different once in a while, Faith, breaking out of tradition-"

"There is this time! No way, B, no fuckin' WAY!" Faith interrupted, her dark eyes flashing, and she moved her hand unconsciously once more.

"Faith, come on, be reasonable," Buffy said, still fighting to hide her smile as she took in Faith's expression. "I already bought it… and it was so cheap. This is more practical. We're saving money, because we can use it next year, and the next-"

"BUFFY! I AM NOT GONNA HAVE A FAKE PINK CHRISTMAS TREE!" Faith almost screamed, and Buffy finally cracked. Unable to suppress her mirth any longer, she burst out laughing.

"Psyche…Merry Christmas baby, the real one's in the back yard…"

Chapter 21: U is for Unexpected  
U is for Unexpected

"What's going on, baby? What's on your mind?" Buffy asked Faith with soft concern as she sat next to her on the couch, reaching to take one of her hands.

Faith swallowed, lowering her eyes for a moment to gather herself before meeting Buffy's eyes once more. Ever since it had happened… and especially since she had gotten up the nerve to tell Buffy she needed to talk to her- she had been so nervous , dreading her reaction. It was bad enough trying to cope with this knowledge on her own… but now having to tell Buffy..

She didn't know what the other slayer's reaction would be… some part of her was terrified, certain that whatever Buffy's promises of her love for her, she would not would believe her, would now hate her. What if Buffy did hate her… what if she left her, how could she possible cope with that?

But she had to tell her, before she found out on her own… and she had to initiate it herself, she had to explain. Damn, Christmas was right around the corner too. She didn't want to ruin it with this…but she had to…

Buffy was looking at her with her forehead wrinkling in concern now, and she squeezed Faith's hand, reaching to gently caress her cheek.

"You look so upset… Faith, are you about to cry? Oh sweetie, don't cry… what's wrong? Tell me, what happened… tell me…"

Faith blinked furiously against the stupid tears that always seemed so close to surface lately, hating herself for bringing them forth, for causing that anxious, worried look to come to Buffy's face. She couldn't do this, she had to tell her…

Taking a deep breath, she told herself that she should pull away from Buffy's touch, but the thing was that she couldn't bring herself to pull away from its small comfort…

"B… you know how I've been really bitchy and moody lately… and a real wuss with the crying…"

"Well…yes…" Buffy said slowly. "You're not a wuss, Faith…I mean it's unusual, but it's okay. Unless there's something wrong-"

"And how I've been tired and nauseous and having headaches…" Faith interrupted, plunging forward hurriedly in order to try and get it said as quickly as possible.

"Yes…" Buffy replied, still apparently not following, and Faith inhaled slowly again as Buffy frowned. "Are you sick, baby? Is- is something wrong, are you sick? Is it bad? Oh god, you don't' have cancer or something, do you?! Faith, do you have cancer?!"

"No!" Faith hurried to assure her quickly, and she squeezed Buffy's hand as relief flooded the blonde's features.

"Oh thank god, you were freaking me out there… I'm always telling you how you need to quit smoking-"

"Well I'm gonna have to anyway… but not 'cause of that," Faith said slowly, and her voice shook a little. She had to look away when she went on. "B…I took three tests and they all said the same thing… I'm pregnant."

For a long while no one spoke… Buffy seemed to have stopped breathing entirely. Faith could feel her eyes on her, could sense her complete shock, and her muscles tightened, a lump forming in her throat…

When Buffy finally spoke, her voice was hardly than a scratchy whisper, and she could only get out one word at first.

"What…"

"I don't know," Faith said tremulously, her voice almost as small as Buffy's, and she could feel the hot tears forming behind her eyes again, threatening to spill over. "I don't know how it happened, B, really, I don't-"

"You don't know how it happened?!" Buffy blurted incredulously, her voice rising as her eyes widened. "You have sex with a man, Faith, that's how it happened! How the hell could you this?! WHEN did you do this?!"

Her voice tightened, and she seemed barely able to say the next question.

"Whose is it, Faith? Do you even know?"

"No one's!" Faith cried, looking at her with eyes pleading to be believed, even as her stomach sank, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. "I didn't have sex with anyone, Buffy, no one but you! I swear- I-"

"Don't lie to me, Faith, that's not even possible," Buffy ground out between tightly clamped teeth, and it was the control of her tone that hurt Faith the most, even more than if she had screamed and yelled. "You have to have sex with a man to have a baby, I'm not stupid. I may be naïve, but I'm not an idiot. Don't give me shit about being a virgin conception, just because it's Christmas doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to believe you-"

"I'm not lying," she said desperately, and she could feel the frantic tears trailing rapidly down her cheeks now, the sobs beginning to distort her voice, as if she were far away from her own self. "I'm n-not… I wouldn't… I love you, Buffy, I d-didn't… I don't know…"

Buffy watched her for several moments as Faith gave up on trying to explaining herself, on even trying to stop herself from crying, her eyes narrowed, the hurt and confusion evident… as Faith continued to cry, her expression gradually softened, growing indecisive as she struggled…

"You…you swear?" she said finally, her voice still hoarse, pained. "You didn't… you didn't do it… you didn't…"

"No," Faith sobbed, shaking her head vigorously as several more tears ran down her face, and she looked up at Buffy pleadingly. "No…I swear…"

Buffy watched her intently for a few more minutes, seeming to be assessing her, still torn… and then she gave off a shuddering sigh. Reaching for Faith, she took her into her arms, bringing her head to her shoulder and beginning to stroke her hair with one hand, rubbing her back and shoulders with the other.

"Shh…don't cry, baby, it will be okay," she whispered, kissing the top of her head, then her forehead. "I believe you… it's okay. We'll figure this out… don't cry…"

Faith wrapped her arms around her fiercely, pushing her face into Buffy's shoulder as extreme relief blended with her still-upset emotions. It was a couple more minutes before she had entirely stopped crying.

Damn stupid fuckin' pregnancy, it must be the hormones, she thought to herself savagely and with no little humiliation as Buffy reached behind her for the tissues on the coffee table, handing them to her. Turns me into a fuckin' wuss…

"Maybe it's a mystical pregnancy," Buffy told her gently after Faith had blown her nose and wiped her eyes, taking her hands again and squeezing them. "Have you been around any weird demons lately, or anything else like that… something that might have done a hex on you?"

"No…and it doesn't feel like a demon thing," Faith said a little shakily, taking another slow breath. "It feels like… mine…like it's a real baby. Not a demon thing. Like I'm connected to it…and actually…it kinda feels like yours too…like you're connected to it too."

Buffy stared at her intensely for a moment, and then they both spoke simultaneously, in the exact same tone.

"WILLOW!"

Chapter 22: V is for Virgin  
V is for Virgin Birth

"Mama, what's a virgin?"

Coffee cup poised between her lips, in the process of groggily starting to down it in the manner she had gulped down shots in her younger and wilder years, Faith's hand froze, brown eyes widening immediately. She started to choke, sputtering as coffee spewed back into her cup and dribbled rather unsophisticatedly down her chin. Callie stared, repulsed yet fascinated.

"Ewww, Mama! Gross!"

"You know not to ask me questions before nine am," Faith grunted, shooting her a nasty look that was more panicked than angry or embarrassed. She swiped at her face with the back of her hand, attempting to maintain her dignity as she reached for a napkin. "Next time it might be you who gets 'grossed' on…"

Buffy grinned across the table from her, enjoying Faith's reaction immensely. She too had been startled by their six-year-old daughter's question, of course, but that had been quickly replaced by extreme entertainment at Faith's reaction. As sexual a person as Faith was, Faith was for some reason extremely uncomfortable discussing sex anywhere near Callie- even though Callie was still clueless as to what it was. It was a trait that Buffy found endearing and often hilarious, if ironic.

Seeing Buffy's grin, Faith scowled at her before standing up quickly, no doubt hoping to divert both her and Callie's attention from the question.

"Gonna go take a shower…"

"Wait a minute, Faith, you didn't answer her question yet," Buffy said sweetly, and her grin widened at Faith's fierce responding glare.

Callie piped up too, her face innocent with curiosity, unaware of how very awkward she was making her mother feel.

"Yeah, Mama, what's a virgin?"

"Uh…why do you ask?" Faith stalled, even as her eyes darted towards the door.

"It was in that song "Silent Night" I'm learning at school… 'round yon Virgin,' it said… so this Virgin, is she fat? Cause they said she's round…"

Buffy grinned, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughter as she watched Faith struggle for words.

Chapter 23: W is for Waiting  
W is for Waiting

Callie squirmed impatiently as she stood in line with her parents, awaiting her turn to sit on Santa's lap in the mall. There were still another five or six children ahead of her in line, and the four-year-old was growing quite fidgety.

"When's it gonna be my turn?" she demanded yet again, and Buffy smoothed a hand over her blonde head, as much in an attempt to smooth down her unruly waves as to calm her.

"Soon, honey…just a few more minutes…"

"You said that a while ago and we still don't get to," Callie grumbled, and Buffy sighed, looking down at her with frustration. She had tried to make her look sweet and pretty for the picture, btu her tomboy daughter had not only balked at this, but also managed to scuff herself up even after Buffy had wrestled her into dress clothes. Her tights had a hole, her Mary Janes were scuffed, her red velvet dress wrinkled, and the ribbon in her hair was drooping. Buffy knew better than to try to fix her again though- every time she did, Callie pulled away, fussing even more.

Buffy glanced over at Faith and saw, to her equal annoyance and amusement, that Faith was just as fidgety as her child. She was swaying back and forth, distributing her weight from foot to foot as the dark eyes nearly identical to Callie's glazed over with boredom. When Buffy nudged her she jumped.

"What?" Then, seeing Callie's scowl, "Uh..did I ever tell you about the time when Mommy and me killed a vam- I mean a big bear- together, right after we'd first met?"

'Bear' was the code word they had taught Callie to use in referring to vampires in public. It was almost as much for Faith as for her though, as she was equally likely to blurt something out as her preschool aged daughter.

"No," Callie replied, only slightly distracted, but Faith went with it.

"Alright, well, this one had a name, it was a big bear named Kakistos," Faith began, and she bent to hoist Callie onto her hip, not only to keep her still, but also so she could talk to her more softly. "It was a really big bad one, one of the worst ever, and it did really bad things to Mama…so it was coming after us, Cal, and Mommy was really scared. She was so scared she was almost crying, and she was just screaming and wouldn't move, about to break my eardrums 'cause it was so shrill-"

"Faith, I was not!" Buffy said indignantly, "that was YOU!"

Faith waved her outburst off with a shrug, ignoring her as she went on as if Buffy had never said anything.

"And Mommy was crying and screaming and wouldn't move 'cause she was scared shi- SHEEPLESS. And so I had to grab her and run, save her ass- uh, anatomy. And I got up a relaly huge plank of wood, 'cause this vam- bear- was so big it needed…"

Buffy just shook her head as Faith continued to narrate; it wasn't' very long before Callie's turn had arrived. As Faith set her down and Callie ran up to climb onto the man's lap, both of them realized at once and froze, praying she wouldn't notice, even as the shock flashed across the Santa's face as well.

Oh please don't let her notice, please don't' let her notice…

But it was too late… as Callie sat perched in the Santa's lap, peering up at him with wide eyes, she was already speaking in a tone hushed with awe.

"Uncle Xander… UNCLE XANDER IS SANTA CLAUS?!"

Chapter 24: X is for Xylophone  
X is for Xylophone

Plink plink plonk. Plink plink plonk…

Buffy gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the high pitched, tuneless noises echoing from the next room as she bent over the stove, trying to determine whether or not the ham she'd put in over an hour ago was finished yet. In the foreground of her mind was this year's disaster with the Thanksgiving turkey… she had not thawed it long enough in advance, and the middle had been frozen when she served it. Faith was never going to let her live that one down, she knew. Well Faith could just make the next holiday meal herself if had anything to say about this one- how did she always manage to get away with making the easy things anyway? Peas, cookies, cornbread- how hard was that?

Plink plonk plink. Plink plink plink…

Buffy pressed her lips together tightly, trying to ignore it even as her irritation level rose steadily, nearing the danger point.

It's Christmas, she tried to tell herself, breathing out slowly. Callie just opened her presents a few hours ago… let her have her fun. It's just one day a year…

But the thing was that AFTER this one day, Callie would still have the damn thing, and she would no doubt still want to bang on it, despite the undeniable fact that she couldn't play it.

Plink. Plinkety plink plonk…

Buffy's teeth ground together harder, and as she straightened, her temples began to feel as if they were being pressed hard against, her skull expanding outward, throbbing. She knew she was probably being overdramatic, but this was driving her insane…

Plink plink plink. Plonk…

And what could she do about it? Tell Callie that Santa had made a mistake, that the stupid thing had been sent to the wrong girl, and take it away from her? She couldn't do that…

Plink plink plonk…

That was it. No. More.

Buffy stuck her head out of the kitchen into the living room, where Callie was calmly banging away where Faith was- wonder of wonders- was sitting casually on the couch, not seeming bothered at all by the commotion- if anything, she was smirking. Which was bad enough- how the hell could she sit around like that instead of helping Buffy get ready for everyone to come over later? And then to be SMIRKING as their three-year-old daughter banged away, finally seeming to have developed an attention span for something…

"Faith…" she called out to her in a dangerously soft tone. "Come here. Now."

Faith got to her feet very slowly, and damn, she was still smiling. Buffy narrowed her eyes at her as she came towards her altogether too casually, still smiling that infuriating smile. Grabbing her by the wrist, she led her the rest of the way into the kitchen, all too aware of the steady plinking behind them. In her own mind it only seemed to be increasing in volume and intensity.

Faith let herself to be led along willingly enough, probably knowing better than to try and protest. The moment they were out of Callie's sight and Buffy was reasonably sure the preschooler couldn't hear them over her racket she was creating, she gave Faith a full out glare, dropping her wrist quickly.

"Faith…why the HELL would you give her that thing?!"

"I thought she'd like it," Faith said in all innocence, barely able to suppress a wicked grin. "Looks like I was right… she's been playing the thing for an hour now…"

"No, see Faith, that's where you're wrong," Buffy said tautly, staring her directly in the eyes so she could see just how pissed she was. "She's not playing it. PLAYING implies that she has some kind of musical knowledge and is producing something resembling a song, or that at the very least consist of a beat of some kind. What Callie is doing is making headache-inducing NOISE."

"Oh…same difference to me," Faith shrugged. "You know I'm tone deaf…"

"Maybe this isn't clear the way I'm saying it now," Buffy said slowly, her hands going to her hips as she exhaled, still feeling the irritation-induced headache at her temples, which seemed to be increasing. "Let me lay it out for you…if you ever get her a musical instrument while she's still living in our home, you will be deeply sorry. Is that more clear to you?"

Faith sighed, rolling her eyes, and Buffy wanted to kill her when she saw that she was still smirking.

"Oh come on, B… it's just a xylophone. Not a piano or guitar… I almost got her a guitar, actually. Would have been cooler, but I figured she's still so little, it would hurt her fingers since she doesn't have any calluses yet-"

"FAITH," Buffy interrupted, and the deadliness of her tone and expression stopped Faith in her tracks this time. "If this child is given another musical instrument from you before age eighteen, you will not be getting any sex for one WHOLE week."

Faith's features froze, and she stared at her in utter shock and horror, her eyes wide.

"You WOULDN'T…"

"Oh, I so would," Buffy retorted darkly, getting some grim pleasure from the aghast, almost terrified expression on her lover's face. "You know I would... and if I was pissed enough…a whole MONTH."

"But your birthday's in January!" Faith exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief. "You'd do that on your BIRTHDAY?!"

"YES," Buffy said evenly, still looking hard into her eyes. "YES. So got it, Faith, no more bangable migraine causing 'musical instuments' until she's old enough to drink and vote and make her own band somewhere, safely away from me."

"Yeah…whatever," Faith muttered, but the way her eyes flitted away, and the guilty glint she had seen in them, instantly made Buffy suspicious.

"Faith…are you lying to me? Let me see your fingers- are you crossing them?!"

"No," Faith said quickly, waving her hands in front of herself, but the guilt in her eyes was unmistakable now. "But you should have told me all this before today…'cause I kinda think Xander got Callie drums…"

Buffy's mouth dropped open in pure horror.

Chapter 25: Y is for Year long Christmas Stores  
Y is for Year-long Christmas Stores

Author note: This is before Callie's birth, and taking place approximately a couple of years ago when gas prices were high, just so you know…all ones when Callie is older take place in the future from now.

"Why the HELL Do they keep marking up the gas prices?!" Faith asked with aggressive demanding in her tone, her dark eyes narrowed, full lips pulled into the scowl that was entirely too often her expression lately. "It's almost three dollars a gallon now, what the hell are they thinking?! No one can DRIVE anywhere, you have to save up months ahead of time if you want to go to the damn grocery store, and if you wanna actually get out and go somewhere you better be taking money out of your retirement fund or some shit, it's ridiculous! Not that WE get a retirement fund anyway…"

Buffy had to look away for a few moments to keep herself from smiling; she knew full well how any signs that she thought anything about Faith or what she was saying were funny would go over. Standing before her with her hands planted somewhat awkwardly on her hips, Faith was nine months pregnant, at the stage where she was clumsy and constantly aching, her stomach so large and taut that it amazed Buffy that she could carry the weight of it. She definitely looked different than the slim, constantly-in-motion girl that Buffy had fallen in love with…but in the older Slayer's eyes, she was as beautiful and sexy as ever.

Try convincing her of that, though. For the past month or so, as she grew larger, and their baby's arrival drew nearer, Faith had grown increasingly more irritable. Absolutely nothing seemed to please her- and if nothing was going on that she could complain about, then she'd invent something seemingly out of thin air. Like this thing with gas prices- beyond being dramatic much, she hadn't even left the house to be able to see them in the past couple of days.

Which was probably what was REALLY bothering her. Buffy knew that Faith was bored, restless, wanting and needing to be active, to continue slaying and getting out, to feel useful. But as close as it was to the baby's birth, she wasn't supposed to be very active- and slaying had been outlawed as soon as she had started showing. All this, when added up to the discomforts of the pregnancy itself, her stressing over becoming a mother, and the September heat made her more impatient for the baby to be born than ever. Plus there was the fact that she had given up smoking and drinking too- and even though she was no longer addicted to smoking as she once had been, Buffy knew that when she got to this kind of mood, her inability to smoke or drink her emotions away only pissed her off even more.

Buffy knew better than to argue with Faith; she knew she should just be nodding in agreement and letting her rant wash over her without paying much attention. But somehow, despite her intentions, she found herself saying wryly, "Faith, I didn't' know you noticed or cared about the gas prices…"

"Well of course I do, Buffy!" Faith snapped, fixing her glare on Buffy now instead of just the general area around herself. "I'm not BLIND- I'm not STUPID- and of COURSE I care how they're making us spend our money, they're trying to rip us off! Just 'cause we all gotta have it, the bastards think they can charge us whatever they want and it doesn't matter, we just gotta pay up!"

Buffy sighed inwardly- she knew better than to sigh out loud. It had been a long month with her acting like this… but at least they were past the crying stage…

The first few months of Faith's pregnancy had been awful. Buffy had up until then seen Faith cry less times than she had fingers on one hand- and then only in entirely devastating circumstances. It had shaken her to witness Faith in tears several times a week, sometimes even several times a day- and sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. And then there had been her morning, noon, and evening sickness, which would each and every time bring on more tears. It had killed Buffy to see her so miserable…but they were past that now, and Faith seemed determined to make up for her perceived weakness of the first couple of months with extreme bitchiness in the last few.

"It's like Christmas or something," Faith was griping, "everyone talks about Christmas like it's all love and good will and peace to all- ha, yeah right! It's all 'spend every dollar you make, get yourself in debt with all your credit cards, buy all your Santa and reindeer shit and feel good about spreading holiday cheer so we can ignore the people out freezing in the streets and buy ourselves new cars with your money.' It makes me sick. It's not even HALLOWEEN yet and they've got Christmas shit up already in the stores! And those year-round Christmas stores, what the hell is that?! Who the hell can think about Christmas decorations in March?! They don't even give up on getting money out of you when Christmas is over- they're open ALL YEAR LONG!"

Okay, she wasn't stopping any time soon, and she was getting more and more random in her complaints… time for an intervention. Buffy stepped up to her and touched her shoulder gently, to get her attention, then took her arm, tugging her in the direction of the couch.

"Okay, Faith, why don't you sit down and let me rub your back for you…"

She knew that it had been aching a lot lately, and that Faith had been having cramps pretty badly. Usually some form of gentle touch, whether through a massage, playing with her hair, or just holding her against her and gently stroking her skin, was enough to calm her down a little, even if Faith would never admit it. But today, obviously too wound up to even want to be touched, Faith pulled away from her touch roughly, glowering.

"I'm not a child, Buffy, stop treating me like one!"

"Then sit down and stop acting like one, Faith," Buffy snapped back; when Faith tried to stare her down furiously, Buffy stared right back without budging. One thing Dawn had been good for- Buffy didn't back down from challenging stare wars, even with someone as stubborn as Faith.

Almost two full minutes went by before Faith cracked. Exhaling loudly, she flopped herself down heavily on the couch, slumping back against it. Buffy could tell she was trying to continue to look angry, but not being very successful at it.

"Look, I'm sorry, B…but my back hurts, I've got heartburn like you wouldn't believe, my feet are too fat to even fit INTO my boots, and even if they could they'd hurt too damn much to walk around in. You might like my new monster boobs, but they fuckin' HURT, the kid's doing karate chops against my bladder, and I'm fuckin' sweating because it's so damn HOT in here! And I look like a cow, I can't fit into any of my leather pants, and even if I could I don't even want to 'cause it's so damn HOT!"

The last words were almost a plea, her voice higher and tighter than usual, and Buffy was upset to see that Faith seemed to be suddenly holding back tears. Maybe they weren't quite past the sensitive-teary stage after all…

Buffy went to sit next to her quickly, slipping her arm around Faith's shoulders and squeezing her, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Shh…it's okay…turn around."

Inhaling in a slightly snuffling manner, Faith did. Buffy moved her hair off her neck and shoulder, kissing its flushed skin before beginning to knead it with her fingers, working out its tensed muscles the best she could. As she began to move her hands down Faith's back and shoulders, she spoke to her quietly, sincerely.

"I know you feel bad, Faith… I know you're uncomfortable. But you're beautiful. Believe me when I tell you that you look absolutely beautiful."

Faith snorted, and Buffy felt her move slightly under her hands. "Yeah right… I'm swelled up and fat and I can't do nothing, I can barely get up myself."

"It doesn't matter," Buffy insisted, and she paused in her massage to hug Faith tightly from behind, once more kissing her neck. "You know with your metabolism you'll be back to normal within two days. And anyway, you're gorgeous. You are absolutely beautiful, Faith… and you're carrying our child. That's such a miracle, even more than the usual way with us…"

Faith was quiet, though Buffy could hear her breathing, hear her heart beating rapidly. It wasn't until she pulled back, beginning to rub her back, again that Faith spoke.

"I just want her to come out already."

"I know," Buffy said softly; they both were certain the baby was a girl. Beyond their instincts, what else could two females with no Y chromosome produce? "And she will. She's just taking her time. Which is good. We want her to be as big and healthy as possible."

"Yeah, so she can make me scream all the louder when she comes punching her way out of me," Faith muttered. But then she sighed, her voice quiet once more. "B…I'm scared of that…her being born."

"Of course you are," Buffy murmured, and she continued to run her hands up and down her back with gentle pressure. "But you'll be okay… I'll be right there with you, letting you break my hand bones all you want. And you're a Slayer, baby… you've had pain before. You'll get through it, and then we'll have a beautiful daughter-"

"No, that's the part that scares me," Faith clarified quietly. "I don't know how to do this… I don't know how to raise a kid. I'm gonna screw her up, B…" her voice dropped even lower, and Buffy could hear the tears in her voice again, more prevalently this time. "I'm gonna ruin her."

At those words, Buffy's hand on her back stopped, and she took hold of Faith's shoulder, physically turning her around to look at her. Seeing how the other woman's eyes glittered with unshed tears, her heart squeezed, but she spoke to her firmly, not looking away from their depths.

"Faith, you will not ruin her. I know you, and I know how very much and fiercely you will love her, how you will do anything in your power to care for her and protect her, just like I will. Of course you won't be perfect, but you'll do the best you can. You will NOT ruin her… and she'll survive any mistakes we make. She's the daughter of two slayers, Faith, brought into being because of the spell of one of the most powerful witches…even if it was kind of an accident. She's going to be strong. And she's going to be one of the most loved and protected babies alive."

Faith exhaled, seeming to be thinking, struggling with this, and Buffy pulled her head against her shoulder, moving her hair aside again to rub at her neck. Several minutes passed…Buffy could feel her muscles loosening, her breathing evening out, and she knew that Faith was finally relaxing.

And then the brunette spoke up, her voice quiet, but there was a devilish undertone that Buffy knew well.

"B? I still think year-round Christmas stores are completely stupid…"

Buffy pinched her just hard enough to make her yelp.

Chapter 26: Z is for Zebra Stripes  
Z is for Zebra Stripes

Author notes: Thank you so much all who keep reading this- and all my other fics. I really appreciate all the regular readers…you are very inspiring. And by the way I am writing Bonded again, just finished a chapter and have a rough outline of more, so hopefully I'll have it up within a few days.

Faith fidgeted about restlessly from where she lay on top of the covers, her already-not-very-impressive patience thinning even further the longer she waited. For God's sake, how long did it take a person to get ready for bed already?!

It had been a long, busy, and very enjoyable Christmas. Callie had loved each of her gifts, particularly the one from Faith that the brunette had dubbed a 'Slayer Starter Kit.' It had consisted of several stakes and weapons made for a smaller hand and form than hers or Buffy's, and a large and rather pretty cross necklace, along with some vials of holy water.

Callie had squealed when she opened it, proclaiming what a grown-up gift it was even as she beamed and wiggled around like the little kid she was. At eight years old, she was beginning to develop an interest in being a 'grown-up' and had even, in all seriousness, once proclaimed herself to be a preteen. Looking down at her tiny, completely undeveloped form, Faith had barely been able to suppress a snicker.

Almost immediately Callie had started clamoring to know if this meant she could not go slaying with them- a proposition that had earned Faith a black death glare from Buffy. The present hadn't been quite as popular with Buffy as with their daughter.

Of course, Buffy's irritation with Faith had quickly been forgotten when she opened her own gifts. Faith had put her hopeful imaginative best effort into them this year…making sure Callie was safely occupied with her new toys in her room, she had watched Buffy open her perfume, lingerie, and the rather expensive necklace she had picked out for her, among other things…some including 'toys' that Faith couldn't wait for them to try out together.

If she would just hurry the hell up…

Faith shifted herself again uncomfortably; she was wearing the red, rather low-cut dress Buffy had gotten her for Christmas, even though it wasn't her style and their get-together with their friends had ended hours ago. Faith really wasn't a dress-wearing kind of girl at all, but Buffy had seemed to so strongly think that she'd look good in it that she had worn it anyway, to the shock of some of the others at the party. Now she was hoping Buffy would come in and be the one to take it off of her…

And what was taking so long anyway? How long did it take a girl to take a shower, brush her teeth, and remove her makeup?

Stupid question. This was Buffy they were talking about, after all…

Faith shifted herself again, finding herself scowling, entirely restless; she had given up the seductive pose she had maintained when she first lay down, and was now simply sitting with her back against the bed's headboard.

Wouldn't it be just about right if after all this, Buffy finally comes in and proclaims herself to be too tired to do anything other than go straight to sleep? Faith felt her frustration intensify at the very thought…if that happened, she was gonna have to go take a shower herself, because no way could she just lay there and act like she was good to go when-

Just then the door opened, and Faith sat up straighter, her eyes widening. All thoughts died as she stared at the figure in the doorway, not quite cognizant of the grin spreading across her face.

"Hey baby," Buffy said in a voice deliberately more husky than usual, one arm extending slowly up the door frame. "Been waiting long?"

Of course she had been and Buffy knew it, but Faith could care less now. Her eyes continued to travel up and down Buffy's length, taking in every inch of her form…

Buffy may have taken a shower, but she looked from the neck up as if she were just starting the day. Her hair was dry and carefully brushed out so it fell around her shoulders, her face made up heavily, her eyes emphasized in the way Faith loved. And she seemed to be putting to use as many gifts Faith had given her as possible.

Even across the room Faith could smell on her the perfume she had given her. Buffy was also wearing her necklace, its ends stopping between her breasts, and her new stilettos. In her hand as well was the handbag Faith had given her, one that looked suspiciously full…

But what her eyes were really taking in was the matching zebra stripe bra and thong set that Faith had given to her…which were currently the only items other than the necklace that Buffy was wearing. Faith had no problem telling herself that her selection had been excellent.

Seeing Faith's temporary and uncharacteristic ability to find words, Buffy smiled, taking a slow step into the room before shutting and locking the door behind her. Faith's already hammering heart kicked it up a few more notches…

"So what do you think?" she asked mischievously, knowing full well what Faith thought since it was written quite expressively across her face.

"I think you look hot in zebra stripes," Faith said immediately, and Buffy laughed, coming to sit next to her and pulling her into a deep kiss. Faith returned it in kind immediately, and all else was forgotten but the feel of Buffy in her arms, the taste of her against her lips…

When they finally pulled away, catching their breath, Buffy's hand fumbled for her handbag, pulling it into her lap. Slowly, teasingly, she began to pull from it more of her gifts… fake whips and chains, handcuffs and whipped cream, scarves and vibrators and dildos…

"Thought I'd share…since it's the season of giving and all…"

Faith wasn't about to protest.

As Buffy's barely-clad body once more pressed close to hers, her lipsticked lips smearing marks against and inside Faith's mouth, Faith felt the excitement building rapidly inside herself in a way that nothing else could do for her. She could feel Buffy's fingers moving to the zipper of her dress and sucked in her breath…

Buffy was the best gift she could ever have been given…just Buffy, her love for her, and their life together now was all she could ever want or need.

The end, and Merry Christmas to all!


End file.
